Preserving, enjoying, and riding three speed hub-geared bicycles.

The death of a three speed. (A sad tale, indeed.)

Thursday was a nice day around these parts, but I didn’t plan on taking a ride as the initial forecast wasn’t promising. However, I decided to do some bike maintenance. I wanted to do a few more things to the Crested Butte, but there was a couple things I also wanted to do to the Raleigh Wayfarer. So I got the portable bike stand out and put the Wayfarer in.

And that’s when I noticed something horrible. The seatstay on the right side had separated from the set cluster.

No no no no no! Why? And what could have done it? Did my futzing with the stand’s clamp somehow torque the seatstay away from the cluster? Did it break earlier and I had not noticed it? Come to think of it, I had been getting a weird noise for over a month, something I attributed to pedal bearings. Could this have been it? Well, what’s done is done.

And now what?

I promptly emailed the Raving Bike Fiend with photos. He suggested that the break could be fixed with a simple weld. But in my head, it was over. I had already decided the Wayfarer was done. I didn’t want to attempt to fix this frame.

To me the answer was clear: transfer the wheels, dynamo lighting setup, rack, and some other items over to my Rudge Sports.

I’ve had the Rudge for over a year, but haven’t ridden it that much because of steel wheels and lack of fenders. Now I would affix the good stuff from the Wayfarer and have a perfectly rideable bike. It would have a sportier setup than the Wayfarer, but that’s okay, especially since I already had a perfectly good upright riding setup with the Raleigh Crested Butte. So full speed ahead with Rudge Sports 2.0.

*****
You might be thinking: Why the detachment? Didn’t the Wayfarer mean a lot to you? Well, yes. The Wayfarer was a great bike. It got me around for over two years. And it was my introduction into the world of British bikes. It started an obsession that has carried on to this day.

But it’s an object. While it is an object that has had special meaning to me, there are many other objects pretty much like it (like the Rudge). It served me well, but it’s time to move on.

In retrospect, it’s fitting that the Rudge Sports wasn’t ready for the Three Speed Ride on Sunday. This gave me one last good ride with the Wayfarer. It’s a fitting end to a great bike. Now, it’s onto the Rudge.

And there is the possibility of another old three speed coming into the stable, as the Raving Bike Fiend wants to sell me a sweet 50’s Raleigh Sports. If one was that way, one might think the Bike Fiend sabotaged the Wayfarer in order to encourage me to buy the Raleigh Sports. 😉

Three Speed October1 October, 2017 – 5 November, 2017Ride a three speed...three times a week...for three weeks...each ride at least three miles in length. Go to the website for full details.

Three Speed Ride8 October, 2017 at 11:30 am – 5:00 pmPaul Bunyon in Kenton, Portland, OR 97217, USAEnjoy a leisurely 20-ish mile cruise along the Columbia and environs. Three speed hub geared bikes preferred, but any bike welcome. We'll have a tea stop (bring your own) and end with food and adult beverages. Not a loop.